dy/dt=0.6 m/s . At the specified moment in the problem, the man is standing at point D with his head at point E. At that moment, his shadow on the wall is y=BC. The two right triangles DeltaABC and DeltaADE are similar triangles. As such, their corresponding sides have equal ratios: (AD)/(AB)=(DE)/(BC) 8/12=2/y, :. y=3 meters If we consider the distance of the man from the building as x then ... More @Wikipedia
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